Food Hygiene Ratings System – Gain the benefit; make the most of your inspection, stay legal and reap the reward! 5 Top tips to help you achieve a 5 star rating!

All food outlets, manufacturers, operators of food businesses and even those serving food as an “add on” to their core activity (such as schools, nurseries etc) have to register with their local council and take the necessary actions to keep the food they prepare, cook & serve safe for consumers. To ensure that this happens all outlets are subject to inspection by the local authority employed Environmental Health Officer / Practitioner (EHO) who will measure standards against established parameters and award a rating which, in most cases, will be available for public access on the Food Standards Agency and local authority website.

Most food outlets are aware that the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is mandatory with the majority of local authorities throughout England, Wales & Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency. When inspected each food business is given a rating of 0-5, 5 is very good, 0 means urgent action required. A similar scheme also operates in Scotland.

With the reputation of your business at stake, most will understandably be keen to achieve the best rating possible, and proudly display the ratings sticker, or certificate, in a visible place to ensure customers are aware of the standards of food safety achieved. Currently only Welsh food safety legislation dictates that it is a legal requirement to display your food safety rating on site, however, if there is no rating displayed that would immediately trigger a question about why this is the case, and what problems or issues are the business trying to hide?

An effective documented food safety management system based on HACCP is a fundamental requirement that will affect the rating you achieve. Ensure your system is up to date and comprehensive, but appropriate for your particular business operation. If you run a small business you can use a system such as Safer Food, Better Business otherwise it is advisable to have a more robust system. Make sure your managers, supervisors and all staff are aware of all the appropriate requirements of your system and that they are routinely implemented and recorded as working practices.

Ensure your staff receive appropriate training & that it is kept up to date, that it is to the correct level, and fits in with key aspects of your HACCP system e.g. critical temperature monitoring, food storage and dates codes and identification of food allergens etc. All staff must be supervised and observed to ensure correct procedures and practices are being followed, and if not appropriate action should be taken.

Ensure you have implemented all the points on your last inspection report and make sure the same issues will not arise again, especially if linked to specific legal requirements. The ‘confidence in management’ score, which affects your rating, will be influenced by how you have responded to previous advice given to you by the EHO.

An accessible and well-organised filing system for food safety documentation is essential. There is no point having food safety systems in place if the EHO cannot see it being implemented and used as part of routine practices and track the history. This is a requirement of current food safety legislation and can contribute towards a legal defence should anything go drastically wrong with your business. Ensure all managers and supervisors know where to find appropriate records and that they are readily accessible.

Carry out your own spot checks / audits to make sure your food safety procedures are appropriate, achieving their aim and being followed. This demonstrates management commitment to food safety, helps you identify issues and correct them and ensures that all staff see food safety as a priority of their work.

Food safety does not have to be onerous, time consuming or expensive, it should be appropriate and once implemented, relatively easy to work with on a day to day basis otherwise it will never be used as intended and may cause you to be marked down rather than up.

If you feel that the idea of compiling and implementing a food safety management (HACCP) system is too complex or not your strength, then seek help and advice from a specialist company – this can be supported with appropriate training for all team members.

We are not all bad!! Some of us charge reasonable rates and offer valuable advice, we won’t all send you off on lengthy training courses or introduce practices and procedures that are wholly inappropriate and cost the earth. I have worked closely with many small Artisan food producers as well as large multi-operational companies, hospitals & other public sector organisations and will always advise according to each individual business requirements.

If you need help or advice, give me a call – a chat on the phone is a great place to start!